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Training the Union
February 15, 2008
Learning and development is on the agenda for corporate executives on their way to a tropical conference center/resort this month, but it's also on tap in the Chicago area for unionized workers.
MCA Chicago and Pipefitters Local Union (LU) 597 use workplace education to improve their trade and members’ earning potential. "Ongoing education is imperative in today's marketplace," says Stephen Lamb, executive director at MCA Chicago. "It keeps our industry on the cutting edge and our labor and management workers in the top percentile of earning capacity in this country. Our common goal, to educate our workers and our contractors, has formed a bond between labor and management that has paid off in many ways." These two unions have not had a strike in more than 90 years.
This peaceful relationship is a boon to Chicago, considering average length of a work stoppage beginning in 2006 was 26.5 days, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. An LU 597 work stoppage of that duration would create widespread hardships for Chicago since its pipefitters impact the operations of the area’s energy and construction industries.
Instead of electing new business managers every three years. as some unions do, LU 597 has had only three in that 90-year period. All three have been dedicated to working constructively with their management counterparts.
State-of-the-Art Training
To advance the education of union workers, Jim Buchanan, Business Manager at LU 597, initiated and oversaw the construction of the two-story, 198,000-sq.-ft. Pipefitters Local 597 training center in Mokena, IL, which opened in 2005. The center's interior space features replications of potentially dangerous construction procedures, such as scaffolding and aerial lifts. Under close supervision, apprentices perform work tasks using these replications, and gain valuable safety expertise.
This high degree of safety training offered by union labor has become a necessity in today's construction industry—and not just in Chicago. According to information released in November 2007 by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health, 40 of the 44 construction-related deaths in New York City in the previous 18 months occurred on non-union sites. "The unionized sector does everything it can to provide training both to its project manager personnel, as well as its skilled trained workforce," says Lou Coletti, president of the Building Trades Employer Association of New York, "and virtually none of that is done in the non-union sector."
In addition to enhanced safety training, the LU 597 training center also offers accelerated training options, including a hybrid welding program, to help meet the construction workforce needs of the Chicago area. High-quality welding skills are currently in high demand, but if that demand should decline with time, workers trained through the hybrid welding program also receive training in other skills, so they would not experience difficulty finding work.
Stephen Lamb of MCA Chicago developed an education program for the association's member contractors, their office staff members, and their union foremen—a curriculum of more than 100 continuing education courses for every level. For Selena Worster, Project Manager at Mechanical, Inc., in Freeport, IL, classes offered by MCA Chicago and its parent organization, Mechanical Contractors Association of America, are her primary sources of continuing education. "Many of their courses are taught by college professors, adding tremendous value to me as an industry professional. The networking aspect is very important to me as well," she says. "Regular interaction with colleagues is extremely valuable. It gives me opportunities to learn about changes in the industry so I can apply new methods that fit our company."
Exploring Green Horizons
Currently, LU 597 and MCA Chicago are working together to educate their industry about green building. The LU 597 training center's latest educational offering is Green Building Awareness. Several of Chicago's building inspectors have taken the new course, which educates participants on the specification, purchase, and application of energy-efficient products. Green awareness training is now included in apprenticeship training programs.
What's more, MCA Chicago formed a green building steering committee to make recommendations on what contractors and end-users need to know. Selena Worster, a member of this committee, notes, "Determining what to put into green building programs for others has helped me to think about the needs of my own workplace." In Fall 2007, MCA Chicago created and hosted a green building Webinar, and in January 2008, the association will offer its members a new seminar, "Green Building: The Nuts and Bolts for Contractors."
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